Demand for engineers rises despite Brexit vote

Demand for professionals in the engineering sector grew year on year to July according to the latest Professional Recruitment Trends report from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

The insight, based on analytics provided by Burning Glass, indicated that while a significant proportion of the demand stems from London and the South East, a number of regional hubs are emerging. It also indicated that high demand skills continue to reflect the main areas of engineering, including civil, electoral and mechanical.

Geographical analysis of the data shows that while demand is greatest across Greater London and the South East job concentration is greater in the travel-to-work areas of Cambridge and Derby. The analysis indicates that the South East accounted for 15% of the postings, while Greater London and the East of England accounted for 13% and 12% respectively.

Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo, commented, “Although some commentators initially expressed concerns over the outlook of the UK’s engineering sector post-Brexit there are a number of positive indicators of growth in the sector. Balfour Beatty has merged its engineering services and engineering construction businesses to form Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, a mechanical and electrical engineering specialist, with a circa £300 million revenue. New engineering hubs are also emerging across the UK, with Cambridge, Derby, Birmingham and Bristol, all likely to benefit from an uplift in demand.

“The skills in high demand come as no surprise, and cover a number of the main engineering disciplines. While the highest growth skills, those which have experience the steepest uplift in demand, include draughting and engineering design skills. Demand for professionals with knowledge of Revit, a modelling software used by structural engineers, has more than doubled since 2013. The skills gap remains a pivotal point of discussion in the sector, and in recent months there has been a real push to promote engineering as a career of choice for school leavers.”